This invention relates generally to computer input devices and more particularly to providing an adapter and signal converter to the PS/2(copyright) port for non-PS/2 input devices such as a joystick.
A mouse is one of the most common computer input devices found on computer systems today. The mouse controls the movement of a cursor or a pointer on a computer display screen. As the mouse is moved by the computer user, the pointer on the display screen moves. A mouse has at least one button and sometimes as many as three, which have different input functions depending on the program running on the computer.
The mouse frees the user to a large extent from using the keyboard. In particular, the mouse is important for graphical user interfaces because the user can simply point to options and objects and click a mouse button. The mouse is also useful for graphics programs that allow a user to draw pictures by using the mouse like a pen, pencil, or paintbrush.
There are three basic types of mice: mechanical, optomechanical, and optical. The mechanical mouse has a rubber or metal ball on its underside that can roll in any direction. Mechanical sensors within the mouse detect the direction the ball is rolling and move the screen pointer accordingly.
The optomechanical mouse is similar to the mechanical mouse, but uses optical sensors to detect motion of the ball.
The optical mouse uses a laser to detect the mouse""s movement. The mouse is moved along a special mat with a grid that is used as a frame of reference by the optical mechanism. Optical mice have no mechanical moving parts. They respond more quickly and precisely than mechanical and optomechanical mice, but they are also more expensive.
Typically a mouse connects to a PC-type computer in one of the following ways:
1. A serial mouse connects directly to an RS-232C serial port or a PS/2(copyright) port. This is the simplest type of connection; or
2. A PS/2(copyright) mouse connects to a PS/2(copyright) port.
Commonly, the mouse is connected to the PS/2(copyright) port on a computer to leave the serial port available for other devices such as a modem. The PS/2(copyright) port is a standard developed by International Business Machines, Inc. for connecting a mouse or keyboard to a PC. The PS/2(copyright) port supports a six pin connector. A typical pinout for the six pin connector is shown in Table 1. Only four of the six pins are used for the mouse. Pins 3 and 4 are ground and power respectively. Pin 5 is for the clock and pin 1 is the data connection.
The mouse is not always a convenient pointing solution for computers, nor is it always the most effective pointing solution. For example, in moving vehicles such as a helicopter, a mouse can be difficult to use and somewhat inconvenient to fit into the pilot space. People with certain handicaps also may have difficulty using the mouse. Instead, there are other pointing devices that may be used in the place of the mouse. These devices include a joystick, a button box, a trackball, and a glide point. These alternatives, however, require specific dependencies to the operating system or special driver software. The joystick, for instance, is typically an analog device where a mouse is typically a digital device. In order to easily replace the mouse with a joystick, for example, one needs a D/A converter and a way of converting the device""s control signals to mouse-like control signals.
It is desirable to have a way of replacing the mouse on a PC computer with a different pointer controller device without modifying hardware or software on the computer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to use a joystick in conjunction with a standard PS/2(copyright) port.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to convert signals from non-mouse pointer controllers to mouse-like signals.
The problems of using alternative pointer controllers in conjunction with a standard PS/2(copyright) port are solved by the present invention of an embedded mouse controller.
A pointer controller interface enables a joystick to be connected to a PS/2(copyright) port converts signals from the joystick to mouse-like signals so that neither the software nor the hardware needs to be changed in order to use the joystick instead of the mouse.
The directional signals of the joystick are converted by the pointer controller interface to mouse-equivalent signals and discrete signals from the joystick are translated by a device formed and configured to a PS/2(copyright) port.
The present invention together with the above and other advantages may best be understood from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings, wherein: